For Señora Bernal, the best of times quickly became the worst of times.
The best of times was June 2023, when her then-first grader’s report card showed an overall “proficient” reading grade. MCPS believed her son was succeeding.
The worst of times was October 2023, when her now-second grader’s standardized test results indicated poor reading fluency and comprehension. The exam showed her son was failing.
Señora Bernal’s resulting shock and confusion highlights a major problem in Montgomery County, where tens of thousands of students are not reading on grade level — disproportionately impacting Black and Brown children, who comprise 56% of MCPS’ student population.
As co-founders of the Black and Brown Coalition for Educational Equity and Excellence, we believe every child has the right to a world-class education, and all parents and caregivers have the right to know if their children are struggling and full access to the supports necessary to help them thrive. MCPS must deliver on both counts.
“You cannot un-educate the person who has learned to read,” Cesar Chavez said.
Indeed, literacy is the foundation for academic success. It is closely connected to socio-economic status increasing chances for better jobs and higher incomes. Literacy even impacts life expectancy.
Yet nearly 50% of Black children and 66% of Latino children in MCPS are not meeting critical third grade reading benchmarks. And the problems persist: more than half of Black children and nearly 60% of Latino children are still not reading at grade level by 10th grade.
We must confront the underlying inequities fueling these disparities. Students from lower-income families in Montgomery County have higher rates of chronic absenteeism; children can’t learn if they’re not in school.
Services to help students who have fallen behind are not available everywhere; when Señora Bernal asked her son’s school for extra help, there was nothing. Despite being in a school district with a $3.2 billion budget, Señora Bernal is now forced to pay almost $200 per month — money that cannot go toward food, medicine or other essentials — for her son’s private tutoring lessons.
We applaud the “structured literacy” interventions that MCPS has implemented; the percentage of MCPS students meeting reading benchmarks in kindergarten and first and second grade increased overall in 2022-23. That progress is welcome, but we are nowhere near the finish line. If our students’ education needs were an illness, this “patient” would still be on life support.
We urge MCPS to take the following additional steps:
Create an early alert system so that report cards do not provide a false sense of security, but instead clearly show if a child is not reading on grade level. The Bernal family’s experience of receiving a misleading report card should never happen again.
Develop detailed reading success plans for any elementary or secondary student not meeting grade level reading benchmarks. All children, not just those lucky enough to be in certain schools or neighborhoods, should get the help they need.
Establish more direct communication channels with parents to keep them updated and informed. Teachers, principals, counselors and school administrators must all be a part of a child’s family learning team to ensure success.
For Señora Bernal, the question is not whether her son is bright and capable — he most assuredly is. The question is whether his school system is doing everything in its power to unlock his full potential. Right now, it’s not. But with the right amount of resources and commitment, we know he — like all students — will be able to thrive.
Diego Uriburu (executive director, Identity) and Byron Johns (chair, Education Committee and Parents Council, NAACP, Montgomery County, MD chapter) are co-founders of the Black and Brown Coalition for Educational Equity and Excellence.
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